Floatzel and the Power of Thinking
by malfunit
Summary: Daniel, a Poke-powerless Floatzel, must find and rescue his dear friend from an abandoned city. The city holds a powerful and frightening secret that Daniel discovers by piecing together clues, while protecting himself from danger by any means necessary.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Daniel was one of the few pokemon that had no so-called "poke-powers." Those same pokemon, including Daniel, had been victims of a certain elusive Ditto that had the power to transform people into pokemon. Although there was no photographic evidence to prove the Ditto's existence, reports showed that at least sixteen people, mainly teenagers, were now pokemon. What everyone found interesting was that the victims had no special pokemon abilities. Daniel drew two conclusions from his experiences after years of thought on the matter: either the Ditto deliberately left its victims poke-powerless, or the Ditto's own powers were incomplete or flawed. There were mixed feelings from the victims. Some thought that they were cursed for life and that they could no longer carry out some of their human activities, while others were excited over the transformation claiming that they had always wanted to know how they would feel as pokemon. News spread far and wide over these mysterious events.

Daniel was a Floatzel, at seventeen years of age. He knew a friend that had been through exactly what he had, only his friend was turned into a Riolu at age three. Daniel was turned into a Buizel at five. It all began when Daniel decided to take a walk in the forest, which was a very popular place to be in for two reasons; one being that the pokemon in that region talk. The other was the fact that the forest itself was a beautiful place. His parents already knew about the strange forest and that the Ditto had already transformed three people into pokemon, with the three-year old Riolu being the first.

Against his mother's wishes, Daniel walked out of the house with his father. The town they lived in was not very large, but it had everything a town needed. Surrounding the town was the forest, known to the public as "The Talking Forest." Daniel's father, Zachary, led him out to the forest, hoping to make his son familiar with some of the pokemon. The Talking Forest earned its name because the pokemon who inhabited it spoke English. It stemmed from a certain trainer who taught his Charmander how to speak it. Eventually, the Charmander acted as a translator for the trainer and the pokemon. Given the fact that pokemon can communicate with each other, in their own language, that Charmander began to teach other pokemon how to speak English. Some time later, it spread into the forest, thus giving the forest its name.

Daniel and his father walked into the vegetation and saw a pink shape in the distance. Zach could tell that it was a Ditto.

"We've got to be careful around that thing," Zach spoke quietly. "That thing is what turned that boy into a Riolu."

"What's a Riolu?" asked Daniel.

"Ssh!" Zach warned.

But it was too late. The Ditto turned around and began to approach Daniel. Daniel thought that it would be a good time to talk with the Ditto.

"Hi," Daniel greeted, smiling.

However, the Ditto greeted Daniel with a different response. It turned into a Buizel and emitted multi-colored energy waves from its body. Daniel tried to run, but the wave of energy was too fast, so it hit him. Although he did not feel any pain, Daniel began to lose consciousness. His father was almost trembling with shock and nearly tripped when he rushed to pick up Daniel. With his son in his arms, he ran from the scene, horrified at what had just happened to Daniel. He ran back to town, shouting:

"Attention everyone! I've just seen the Ditto! It got my son! Lock all doors and windows immediately! Protect your loved ones! Don't let that thing come anywhere near you!"

Everyone began to run towards their homes, creating an uproar. All doors, windows, cellar entrances, and other points of entry were locked. Zach ran back into his own house, while everyone waited for the Ditto to come. Zach walked upstairs, into Daniel's bedroom, and lay him down on his bed. Zach's wife, whose name was Elena, rushed upstairs to see what the matter was. She noticed that the town had been sent into a panic, based on what she heard, but she did not get to see it. She entered Daniel's room and asked,

"What happened, Zach?"

Zach gave Elena a serious look.

"Elena...take a good look at our son," he said. He paused for a moment before saying, "Daniel might not be the same again in a few hours."

Elena looked half-sad, half-worried. There was a long pause before Elena spoke.

"I never thought this day would come," she said at last, feeling nostalgic already. "Our son, age five, may never be the same again as you say. Once someone's been hit with that mysterious energy, the transformation begins. Slowly but surely, our son will turn into a pokemon. It could take anywhere from an hour to twelve hours."

"How do you know all this?" asked Zach.

"I read ancient history," replied Caroline. "Did you happen to see if the Ditto turned into another pokemon?"

"It turned into a Buizel," answered Zach. "Why?"

"If that Ditto turns into a pokemon when it attacks, it's almost certain that the person it affects will also turn into that pokemon. In other words, Daniel will probably turn into a Buizel in a matter of hours."

"After that happens, then what?" asked Zach.

"We'll have to figure that out ourselves," replied Caroline. "In the meantime, all we can do is watch."

"So that means we can't do anything to stop it?" asked Zach, disheartened.

"No...it's not reversible," answered Caroline. "All we can do...is watch."

After a moment, there came a strange ringing noise that almost sounded metallic, which subsided very quickly. Suddenly, a tiny bit of Daniel's stomach area began to glow white. It grew brighter and then dimmed again. That area did this over and over again. It also made a faint, fluctuating, metallic whirr.

"It's starting," Caroline spoke. "Let's take one last look at our son before he changes...permanently."

After fifteen minutes passed, the small glowing patch on Daniel's stomach area had spread a few inches outward. Also, the noise grew a bit louder. There was a knock on the front door.

"I'll see who it is," Zach spoke.

Zach opened the front door and saw one of the neighbors with her child. She said that she heard about what happened to Daniel and wanted to see how he was doing. Zach let them in, showed them upstairs into Daniel's room, and he and Caroline explained to the other two what happened, what is happening, and what will happen.

"That's too bad...I hope he's okay," the neighbor said.

"Mom...what's it like to be a pokemon?" the child asked.

"Don't start getting ideas...we'll see when he wakes up," answered the neighbor.

About half an hour later, the white glow had spread across Daniel's chest and was beginning to affect his left hand. Also, the whirring noise began to sound more complex, as if more than one was occurring at the same time. By that time, a few more people began to show up in Daniel's room to see the event: two adults, a teenager, and a small child.

An hour later, the white glow had spread to Daniel's thighs and was also covering part of his left arm. Even the tip of the ring finger on his right hand began to glow. The noise grew more complex and became louder as time passed. Daniel was starting to turn pale, much to his father's dismay. Zach reached for him.

"Leave him," said Caroline. "If the last two victims survived this, our son will too."

Two hours passed and the glow had almost completely covered Daniel's body. All that was left was his head, his left foot, and his right shoulder. His mother approached him, placing her hand on his face. Daniel did not respond.

"Daniel," Caroline spoke, pausing for a moment, not expecting a response. "No matter what happens to you or your body...you'll always be loved...you have my word."

She kissed Daniel's forehead and moved back. The glowing completely covered Daniel's body and began to brighten. The noises were becoming louder, although still tolerable. Now the glowing had reached a point where only Daniel's body shape was still recognizable. Then the transformation began. Daniel's body began to change shape. Slowly but surely, Daniel began to shrink, then two tails formed. The top of his head began to show two somewhat pointy "ears." Soon after that, the structure of his face began to change so that he had a snout. His body began to morph as well, changing so that it was curved rather than straight. His abdominal regions and his legs were now connected, rather than separate. His fingers turned into the paws of an animal. His feet did the same. Two fin-like objects began to form in his arms. Then finally, the clue that gave the answer to the burning question was the object around Daniel's neck that was called a "flotation sac" in the world of Pokemon.

Daniel's bright glow began to dim. The noises became quieter. Everyone could barely see Daniel's nose at this point. The glowing continued to dim and the noises were subsiding. Soon, the glowing and the noises stopped completely and everyone could see just what had happened to Daniel in his sleep.

"Zach...it's over," Caroline spoke, staring at Daniel. "This is our son now."

"Oh, he looks so cute!" said the teenager, holding her hands up to her chin.

Daniel began to open his eyes, causing some reactions among the visitors.

"He's waking up."

"What should we do?"

"Should we tell him?"

"I'll handle this," Caroline spoke.

Daniel woke up, wondering why so many people were in his room.

"Whoa, what a dream I had," Daniel spoke. "I dreamed I was a pokemon."

"Daniel, I don't know how to put this...but your dreams have come true," Caroline responded.

"Say what?" asked Daniel.

"Look down," replied Caroline.

Daniel did as he was told and discovered the results of what had taken place the last few hours. He was speechless as he looked at himself, raising his paws in the air and lowering them again. The teenage girl had a mirror with her, so she took it out and said,

"You might want to look in a mirror."

Daniel took the mirror with both paws and looked at his reflection. He had been turned into a Buizel and began to smile as a result. A Buizel looks like a cross between a weasel and a sea otter. Daniel had orange fur, although it was cream colored at the lower half of his face, down to his abdominal region. He had a tail that split in two at one point. His arms had two blue, fin-like objects sticking out of the sides; one on each arm. He saw two pairs of black lines on his cheeks. The object around his neck was yellow and looked like a safety float, but Daniel could tell that it was a part of his body.

"Daniel...you're not human anymore," Caroline spoke. "But you'll always be our son."

"That's right," added Zach.

"I'm having too much fun right now," said Daniel, grinning and lying down on his side.

"Good...I'm glad," answered Caroline, relieved.

The next day was a school day, which meant that Daniel had to go to school. The problem was that he was now a Buizel. After a lot of negotiation, Daniel was able to continue going to school. He had to use a keyboard to write down his homework, do his assignments, type letters, and other things. Other than the usual difficulties with his paws to do things a human could do easily, Daniel had no problems adapting to school life. It was there that he met the first and second victims of the Ditto, a Riolu and a Pikachu. There, they formed a long-lasting friendship. They were all good students, all the way from elementary school to high school.

At the age of fifteen, Daniel had evolved into a Floatzel. He had coped very well since his transformation and his parents were proud of him. Nothing could stop him from accomplishing great things. That is until one night, when he and his friend took a walk in a forest.


	2. Chapter 1: The Walk that Started it All

Chapter 1: The Walk that Started it All

Daniel returned home from school with a friend of his. His friend's name was Simon. Simon was a Raichu, which is a mouse-like creature that stands at about two feet and seven inches. Daniel was exactly a foot taller than him. Simon was one of the victims of the Ditto. Daniel and Simon walked up to the front door of his house and went inside. His mother was busy typing something on her computer.

"Hi, mom," said Daniel. "What are you doing?"

"Checking my messages," replied Caroline.

"Hey, Daniel...how come your mom has two names?" asked Simon, wanting to know whether Elena or Caroline was the real name.

"Elena's my real name, replied Caroline. "Caroline is just a nickname I like. Had it since I was a kid."

"oohhh," said Simon. "Hey, Daniel."

"Huh?" asked Daniel.

"Let's go to the kitchen...I want to talk to you about something,"answered Simon, with a faint grin.

"Okay," replied Daniel, dropping his backpack on the couch.

As they went to the kitchen, Caroline shouted,

"There's pineapple rings in the fridge; eat them if you get hungry!"

Daniel grabbed a nearby stool, stood on it, and opened the fridge door. He reached the open can of pineapple rings, sealed by a plastic lid, jumped down, and closed the fridge door. He put the stool back where it belonged and put the can down. Simon was having a hard time reaching the plates in the cupboard, so Daniel helped out. Once they were finished with the chore of preparing the food, they sat at the dinner table.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" asked Daniel, taking a bite out of a ring.

"That last adventure we had," Simon responded.

Daniel gave a serious look at Simon.

"Do you have any idea how worried my mom was when we last disappeared?" he asked.

"We had the time of our lives, though...and we saved an entire city from that secret." Simon countered.

"Mom was worried sick over me...literally!" answered Daniel, raising his voice and standing on the chair. "And what about your mom?"

"She understood once I told her the story," replied Simon.

"It's a good thing that our parents understood, or I might have to wring you like a sponge...just kidding," said Daniel.

"But we had some good times back there," answered Simon, smiling.

"Only because I kept us out of harm's way," countered Daniel. "If I didn't act as a leader, you wouldn't be here right now."

When Daniel and Simon finished their pineapple rings, they walked into the living room, where Caroline was.

"Mom, we're going for a walk, is that okay?" asked Daniel.

"Sure," replied Caroline. "Just don't wander too far from town."

"Got it," said Simon.

Daniel and Simon left the house and walked towards the edge of the forest.

"I've always like this forest for some reason," began Daniel. "Something about it is soothing to me. Also, there's a stream near us. You want to see it?"

"Sure, as long as I don't have to swim," replied Simon.

Daniel and Simon were on their way towards a river that people sometimes visit. Through some trees was a clearing, which led to some more vegetation. What Daniel and Simon saw next surprised them, but not by much.

"Hey, Daniel! Look, a portal! I wanna see what's inside!" shouted Simon, rushing for the portal.

"HEY! You come back here, mister!" Daniel protested. "I don't want to have to save you from certain doom again!"

Unfortunately for Daniel, Simon could run just as fast as him. Simon saw a portal close by, which looked like a blue oval of energy. Simon did not care where it led to, as long as it promised an adventure. He jumped into the portal, making Daniel frustrated.

"Grrr!" Daniel uttered.

Daniel had no choice but to follow Simon, despite the talk they just had about parental concern. He jumped into the portal. The portal deposited Daniel and Simon inside a city with a medieval feel to it. The time of day looked to be midnight. There were two interesting things about this city; one being that although the city looked medieval, there were electric lights present. The other interesting fact was that the city was in ruins. It looked as if it had been abandoned for some time. Daniel's guess was at least fifty years, but right now, his attention was focused on the now unfortunate Simon.

"Simon...why?" asked Daniel, trying very hard to keep a straight face. "Now you see why I keep telling you to get a hold of your impulses. You wanted an adventure and boy did we get one. Just don't complain when you get captured, get put in confinement, and risk losing your life. One day, I'm not gonna be there for you if you get yourself in a life-threatening situation. The adventures before were fun, but now you're pushing it."

"Sorry...I just wanted to have some fun," said Simon, upset.

"Look, I didn't mean to upset you. I just think that one of these adventures could be the end of us. Now, let's do what we normally do first in an adventure...explore the place we're in."

Simon began to feel better.

"I guess it's back to the good old days," the Raichu responded.

"Now, do as I say, and we should be all right," Daniel spoke.

He decided to investigate the building nearest to him. It looked like a tavern, only there was a cellar door with it. Daniel's heart began to beat faster as he put his paw on the door handle. Simon watched anxiously as Daniel opened the door and went inside. Inside was dark, but for some reason, Daniel and Simon could see nearly everything, although some areas were hard to make out. There was an eerie silence that made the cellar all the more frightening. The only thing that could be heard was dripping noises, coming from multiple sources.

Neither Daniel, nor Simon dared to make a sound as they explored the cellar. They were about halfway through the room when the cellar door suddenly shut and locked itself. Daniel and Simon were both horrified, but Daniel knew how to cope with situations like these. Daniel saw another door at the opposite end of the cellar and prayed that it was not locked. He put his hand on the handle and turned it, feeling slightly relieved that the door was unlocked. When he and Simon walked through the door, moving slowly into the next room. Inside was the tavern's bar, now covered in cobwebs. A grandfather clock was for some reason, still ticking. Then all of a sudden, the ticking stopped. Now, Daniel and Simon were afraid. Daniel had watched a few horror movies before and the way they built the suspense up was a perfect example of what was going on here.

"Let's go outside," Daniel whispered.

They both crept towards the front double-doors. Daniel put his paw on one of the handles, turned it slowly, and cringed as the door squeaked loudly. They crept outside and closed the door. They walked out towards the gate where they had started and stopped.

"Only you could get us into a mess as fine as this," Daniel spoke quietly.

Daniel and Simon were now trapped inside an abandoned city that they felt could be full of unspeakable horrors. According to Daniel and Simon's adventure history, this was by far the most frightening.


	3. Chapter 2: Daniel's First Defenses

Chapter 2: Daniel's First Defenses

Daniel and Simon had rarely ever been through an adventure as sinister as this one looked to be. There seemed to be no way out of the city other than the gate, which was sealed with a metal bar that was too high up for Daniel and too heavy for Simon to move with his long tail. They were trapped inside the city. Daniel decided to go exploring again, but this time he wanted to find information about the city.

"Hey, Simon," began Daniel.

"Yes?" asked Simon.

"If we want to get out of here, we'll have to find some info about the city. I'm talking blueprints, maps, schematics, etc," Daniel explained.

"I really hope we don't have to learn more than we want to," replied Simon, looking nervous.

"Actually, that would help," countered Daniel. "Let's try that building over there."

Daniel and Simon walked over to the rather large building on the far right of their view. The building was still structurally sound, despite the city's apparent state. The only problem was that the front door was jammed. However, it was rusty, severely dented, and looked very fragile.

"Don't think I should try it this way but…" said Daniel, preparing to force the door open. He slammed into the door with his back, causing the door to break off its hinges and fall inwards. A loud crash resulted, prompting Daniel and Simon to find a hiding place quickly. The cashier's counter in the left corner looked like a good choice. They ran over to the hiding place and waited.

Two minutes passed as they waited in the darkness, then Daniel thought that the coast was clear and said,

"I don't think anyone's in here…I think it's safe."

They came out of the opening below the counter and looked around. During high school, Daniel and Simon studied medieval history together, so they assumed that this place was an armory.

"A place like this might have something good inside," Daniel spoke, looking for anything he could use as a weapon.

"Huh…what's this?" asked Daniel, spotting a hidden lever underneath the top of the counter. He pulled the lever, making part of the counter slide down into an opening in the floor. Inside were three scrolls, each wrapped in a ribbon that looked as if it works the same way a car's seat belt does. One of the scrolls had a metal ring around the center, with a handle to move it. A leather carrying bag was also found.

"Interesting…" said Daniel, picking a scroll up. He unrolled it and found that the scroll was in fact a magic spell. The title read "Force Bolt," which made Daniel grin.

"Simon, I think we've found something really useful," he spoke. According to the scroll, it was a spell that fired pure force at a target. Being pure force, there was no way to see it, apart from the fiery discharge from the scroll when used. The scroll also mentioned that the force was extremely fast, meaning that it was very difficult to dodge. There was a certain way the scroll had to be used. The scroll explained that the user had to touch the blank area with his/her hand, roll the scroll up, and hold it in a way that closely resembled a shotgun. To 'reload' the scroll, the user had to move the ring in the middle of the scroll up and back down to the middle. Interestingly, the scroll mentioned that most scrolls, when activated, stop working if the spell has not been used in twenty seconds, compared to the several hours it takes for this spell to stop. The scroll had a number near the top, which Daniel thought could mean the number of times this scroll could be used.

"If we get ambushed, this should be our first weapon," began Daniel. "Should it come to that, stick with me...and whatever you do, don't get separated. We don't want another Pika-Trap accident, do we?"

"Oh yeah, I totally remember those booby-traps," replied Simon. "Almost got me, they did. Thanks for saving me back there."

"Yeah, well next time it probably won't just be spinning blades and serrated disks," Daniel warned, folding his arms and looking off to the side, eyes half open. "But I digress...now let's see what these other scrolls do."

The title of the next scroll read "Ice Ball."

"I've heard of Ice Fang, but Ice Ball? Eh, guess it makes sense," said Daniel. The scroll described the spell as a ball of extremely cold, crystallized magic that detonates on contact, creating an icy mist that freezes the air to a lethal extent.

"I guess we'd better use this for hit-and-run situations," suggested Daniel. "Also, if my logic is right, I think this would be better off as an escape tool, rather than a weapon."

"Why?" asked Simon.

"Remember when we were in that haunted mansion and we tried to launch an ice bolt at that skeleton and it didn't work?" asked Daniel.

"Yeah," replied Simon. The Raichu thought for a moment. "Oh, I see what you mean, yeah, I guess it makes sense."

"Now for the third scroll," said Daniel.

He unrolled the third scroll, which was titled "Shield."

"This is interesting..." Daniel spoke with a thin smile.

The scroll read that the spell grants the caster complete immunity from one attack, magic or not. There was a very small number near the top of the scroll.

From the information Daniel gathered from the scrolls so far, he could tell that each of them needed a ritual, in the form of movements, in order to activate them spells.

"I think we're set for now, Simon. Don't you think?" asked Daniel.

"Though we still don't know what in the world we're doing here or what we'll be up against," added Simon.

Daniel put his paw on the blank area of the Force Bolt scroll and rolled it up. He rolled the others up and put them inside the bag. He tried to sling the bag over his shoulder, but his yellow flotation sac was in the way, which now spanned from the back of his head, down both sides of his body, to just above his two tails. Fortunately, the strap looked and worked like a seat belt and it was adjustable, so he changed it so that the bag's belt was around his waist. Given the fact that the lower half of his body was wider than the upper half, he was confident it would not slip off.

Daniel saw a long object in the distance that he thought he might be able to use as a melee weapon. Closer inspection revealed that the object was a long, thin, unused, silver candlestick. The candlestick stood nearly as high as Daniel, which was perfect since he was able to fit it down the back of his belt, while giving him the length he needed to trip enemies or sweep them off their feet.

Daniel fitted the Force Bolt scroll down the left side of his belt, using his own body shape to keep it secure.

"Being a Floatzel or any other kind of sea weasel has its benefits," said Daniel, smiling.

"And what about me?" asked Simon, jealous of Daniel's equipment.

"Hey, you wanted an adventure," countered Daniel. "Now let's see if we can find any mo-"

Suddenly, Daniel heard tiny pattering noises that sounded more like ticking. Suddenly, his anxiety returned, along with Simon's. Something was moving upstairs.

"Quick, Simon, behind the counter," Daniel whispered. "Open the side door so we can see what's coming."

Simon did as Daniel said and opened the side door of the counter. The counter was well-hidden by darkness, so Daniel could afford to take a look at what was coming. Daniel had his Force Bolt scroll ready. About twenty seconds later, a hideously large spider, about half of Simon's height, crawled down the stairs and onto the floor. It hissed calmly; completely unaware of Daniel and Simon's presence. Then Simon felt a tickling sensation in his nose. He tried to control it, but now he was going to sneeze. Meanwhile, Daniel had his scroll aimed at the spider, who just stood at the bottom of the stairs. Simon opened his mouth, without making a sound, and sneezed, causing Daniel to flinch. The spider noticed this and hissed furiously, making a sound like "HEEEEEE!" It rushed towards Daniel. Daniel was terrified, as evident by his bared teeth and sweating.

"Quick, Daniel! Shoot it!" Simon barked.

Daniel fired a Force Bolt from his scroll, although he did not realize how powerful the fiery discharge was. The blast sounded a lot like a gunshot, only it sounded as if it came off a Wild West cartoon. The spider was knocked about ten feet backward. Daniel lost his balance and fell backward, picking himself up and moving the ring on his scroll up and back down again. With the knowledge of how powerful the discharge from the scroll was in his mind, he aimed at the spider, which tried again at rushing at Daniel. Daniel fired again, this time knocking the spider to the end of the room. This time, Daniel managed to keep his balance. The spider made a roaring sound and ran upstairs.

"Let's get out of here before that thing calls its friends!" Daniel spoke, loudly.

Daniel and Simon had just faced their first enemy. There were no winners or losers, but they were glad that they made the spider run off. At least they had weapons and protection, should the dire need occur again.


	4. Chapter 3: Separated

Chapter 3: Separated

Daniel and Simon had faced their first enemy, which was a giant spider. Daniel could not tell whether it was poisonous or not, but he wanted to leave in case the spider had any friends. Daniel was beginning to gain some confidence in his self-defense. Also he felt that he and Simon would have evaded the spider, had Simon not sneezed.

Daniel and Simon ran out of the armory and back to where they started.

"I don't think that spider will chase us," said Daniel. "I think it'll leave us alone now."

"Good," replied Simon, relieved. "That thing was hideous."

"There must be something that will tell us what happened here," Daniel spoke. "People don't abandon cities without a reason."

Daniel then saw something interesting in the distance, next to a metal signpost.

"Get a load of that sword; it's been snapped in two," said Daniel, nudging Simon.

"I already don't like the way things are turning out," replied Simon, looking worried.

"This sword tells us two things," began Daniel. "A struggle might have taken place here...and if that's the case...if something broke that sword, just think what it could do to our bones."

"Okay, that's too much information," replied Simon, cringing. "You're starting to scare me."

"If you're chickening out on me now, then you should have thought about that when you ran to the portal," countered Daniel, smirking and wagging his finger at Simon. "If I'm saying more than you want to hear, you can always leave."

"Point taken," said Simon, horrified at the thought of being alone in this place.

"Unfortunately, I can't just make everything all better for you," Daniel spoke, staring at the broken sword. "So you'll just have to live with it. When you're alone is when you should be worried; for past experience has taught me that you have a tendency to get yourself in trouble when I'm not around."

"Hey, what's that?" asked Simon, trying to change the subject. He was referring to a small diary in a space between two buildings. Daniel walked over to it, picked it up, and flipped to the last entry. It read:

"_They're coming. The barricades that we've set up won't last much longer. All this happened so unexpectedly, so I've only got time to grab my bag, some food and water, my prized possessions, and my crossbow. Whoever removed the wards on the front doors of that wretched place should be executed. I'm leaving now."_

This entry left Daniel with four questions: what was coming? What happened unexpectedly? What wards were not supposed to be removed? And what is the "wretched place?"

"Looks like we've just opened up a whole new can of worms," said Daniel, giving a serious look at Simon.

"Like in every other adventure we've had so far," added Simon. "Wait...what's that sound?"

"Footsteps..." replied Daniel. "And they're coming this way...quick, Simon, find a hiding place."

Daniel found a medium-sized storage chest that looked to be just the right size for him. He opened the lid, jumped inside, and slowly closed the lid. Simon on the other hand ran all the way behind the armory and hid there.

Daniel did not open the lid, fearing he might give himself away. He waited until the footsteps became quieter until he could hear them no more. Then he opened the chest and climbed out.

"Daniel! Come here, quick! They got me!" Simon yelled.

Daniel rushed over to the armory, only to find that Simon had vanished. There was no trace of where he went, leaving Daniel puzzled.

"Simon! Simon!" Daniel shouted. There was no response. "Simon, you've really outdone yourself this time."

Daniel buried his face in his paw and shook his head.

"Here we go again," he sighed.

It took him a minute, but Daniel decided to take a look around to see if he could find any more equipment, info, or Simon, who Daniel was calling "foolish" in his head. As he explored the outer regions of the city, he began to feel slightly upset over the state of the city. He noticed that most of the wooden buildings were damaged and some were rotting, due to the apparent years of neglect. The doors were either rusty, dented, broken, or missing. Windows were either shattered or boarded up for whatever reason. There were gaping holes in some of the roofs, walls, and even the floors. But for some strange reason, most of the electric lights, scattered around the city, were still lit. However, it did not take long for Daniel to start enjoying the piece and quiet of the city. He liked being alone, although he did not know how long that would last.

He was now in an area that looked like a dockside. Waves were lapping the shoreline, along with several ruined cargo ships. Based on the size of the ships, Daniel guessed that this city was once a very prosperous place. He noticed that overall, the architecture of most of the buildings he had seen was a bit unusual. Buildings were joined together and some looked as if they used to be shared by shopkeepers, judging from the signs that Daniel saw. A very interesting feature to Daniel was the elegant water fountain in the middle of the area he was in. However, the fountain's 'face' began to make him nervous. A strange dragon-like creature with what looked to be a flower around its neck looked to be where the water poured out. But then he decided to move on. He wanted to search some of the buildings for more equipment. On his left was a supply store. The sign read "Magic Supplies," which made Daniel think that the store was intended for the dockside workers, rather than the public. He decided to investigate anyway. Inside was a room with two open areas for the shopkeepers to conduct their business. Daniel saw a few small crates lying against the wall and decided to open them. The first one contained purple bags of coins, which gave Daniel an idea. He knew that he needed to save some room in his bag for other items, but he thought he could take a few coins with him. He thought that later, if he made it back home again, via a portal, he could have the coins appraised. Since they came from a world other than the world of Pokemon, he thought that he could make quite a lot of money from the coins.

"These should fetch a nice price," Daniel muttered to himself, with a thin smile.

Daniel took five coins from the bag and put the bag back in the crate. He then opened his own bag, dropped the coins inside, and closed the bag.

He opened the second crate and found a scroll. He unrolled it and read the description. It was titled "Levitate." The scroll read that it gives the caster the ability to float in the air. It also said that the caster can also move while in the air, but speed was limited. He put the scroll in his bag and grabbed the third crate. Inside was nothing but coins, but after picking the crate up, Daniel caught sight of a secret button on the wall. He pressed it and a small section of the wall began to slide into a space in the floor, much like the armory. Inside he saw two scrolls. He unrolled one of them, which read "Invisibility." Daniel was pleased at what he found, thinking that he could use this in emergencies. He put the scroll in his bag and unrolled the other one. This one was titled "Contorted Blast." This one apparently launches a violet, whirling projectile that slams into an enemy. A picture of the projectile showed that it was cone-shaped and had rings that seemed to spin very quickly around the cone like a hula-hoop. Daniel put the scroll in his bag and left the building.

Daniel noticed something different about the environment than before he entered the store. The fountain near the cluster of shops he was at was now working.

"Daniel...Daniel, the reflection," a familiar voice spoke.

Daniel looked at what was supposed to be his reflection in the water. Instead it was Simon's, which made Daniel wonder where he was at. Surprisingly, the water that came from the fountain did not seem to disrupt Simon's reflection at all.

"Simon, where in the world are you?" asked Daniel. "I thought I told you to stick with me; now look what's happened."

"There's no time for that," replied Simon. "Listen...there's something weird going on. I get the feeling I'm being watched."

"How many times have we been through this?" asked Daniel. "Why do you think that?"

"That's not all," replied Simon, starting to look nervous. "There's this creepy statue that keeps appearing in places I've been before. It's really starting to scare me."

"What does it look like?" asked Daniel.

"Well, it's got two black holes for eyes, two black, triangular front teeth, and it's wearing a robe with a hood. It doesn't have a nose and it's holding a knife. It's face looks perfectly smooth. Daniel, please come find me; I don't wanna be here."

"Where are you?" asked Daniel, with a concerned look.

"I'm in someplace called the 'Market District'," replied Simon. "If you see a bunch of shops with a fountain, that's where I am. Where are you?"

"I'm at the dockside," answered Daniel. "I'll be right there if I can find it."

"Problem is I don't know where the dockside is," said Simon. "If I find it, I'll talk to you through the fountain. Try to stay near a fountain if you can...huh? Daniel! Behind you! It's the statue!"

Daniel turned around; what he saw next petrified him with fear.


	5. Chapter 4: The Statue

Chapter 4: The Statue

Daniel managed to contact Simon in an unusual way. He was glad that Simon was all right and that nothing serious had happened to him. However, Daniel was the one in danger now, according to Simon.

Daniel quickly turned around, holding his Force Bolt scroll, and shouted,

"Freeze mister!"

The moment Daniel saw the statue, Daniel felt his heart thump and a sudden chill all over his body. Although Daniel did not make a sound, the shock from seeing the statue caused him to jump. The statue was uncomfortably close to him, holding a knife just as Simon said. Simon's description of the statue seemed to be accurate. The knife and the two black eyes are what scared Daniel the most. The statue just stood there like one, not moving an inch. Daniel knew it was alive because of the fact that Simon had seen it also, just before they talked.

Daniel slowly moved to the side, watching the statue carefully, expecting a sudden attack. He circled around it until he was behind the statue. He then pulled out his candlestick and jabbed the statue in the back, making it fall forward onto the fountain's edge. Daniel then ran down the street, past the cluster of shops he had been in. He arrived at what looked to be what was left of a clothing store, with a gaping hole in the wall. He wondered what was inside, but he also wanted to get away from the statue.

Daniel walked into the building, wanting to be sure that the statue could not see him. He crept around the store, taking note of the damage and neglect this place had suffered. Most of the clothes had been chewed to pieces by moths, the front door was now on the ground, suggesting that something forced it open. What Daniel found interesting was that the door had fallen outside, rather than inside the store. Cobwebs were scattered around the place, mainly in the corners of the ceiling. Daniel began to worry about facing more spiders.

What Daniel was scared of, more than spiders, was the silence of the place. It was unnaturally quiet inside the store, even though Daniel felt he should be hearing some outdoor noises. He found a place he might be able to hide in, the cashier's counter. He crept over to the counter, walked through the side door, and waited. Five minutes passed by without a single sound or sight. Then Daniel heard something.

Daniel stood very still, trying to figure out where the noises were coming from. Something was making knocking noises, soft ones that seemed to be coming from somewhere above. After a moment, the knocking stopped. Daniel refused to go out into the open; he wanted to wait and see if the knocking would happen again. He heard more knocking sounds, but this time he also heard a rattling sound from a door knob. Something wanted to get out. It took a few minutes for Daniel to gather the courage to leave the cashier's counter.

As he was leaving his hiding spot, Daniel began to think that Simon might be making the knocking sounds. But at the same time, he did not like taking chances. After a few minutes of indecision, Daniel began to walk towards the staircase, to the left of the cashier's counter. About halfway there, the knocking grew more intense. Daniel continued towards the stairs, muttering,

"That had better be Simon up there...idiot. Told him to stick close."

He heard some more rattling as he took the first step upstairs. By the time he reached a left turn, the knocking became frantic. The first knocking fit banished the thought of Simon being behind the door. Daniel thought that no Raichu could pound on a door that hard, that fast. The knocking sounded as if someone was having a panic attack behind the door.

Meanwhile, Daniel was quite literally scared stiff; he could not move. The banging continued for about thirty seconds, then suddenly stopped. Daniel stood motionless, trying to avoid heavy breathing. The frozen expression on his face was a cross between curiosity and shock, mouth slightly open. He could not take his eyes off the door. It did not have a keyhole, so Daniel could only imagine what was behind it.

Eventually, he began to creep up the stairs, being thankful that he was a Floatzel. Floatzels did not make a lot of noise with their feet when walking on stone. When he reached the door, he almost felt sick. Anything could be behind that door. A ghost, a skeleton, a monster, a creature that twists the mind when seen, anything but Simon. Daniel listened at the door for any sounds. Not a thing. After breathing deeply through his nose, Daniel put his paw on the door knob. The knob was too big for his tiny fingers to turn, so he put both paws on the knob and tried to open the door. The door clicked and opened.

Inside, Daniel could barely make out a fireplace in the back wall. That was all he could see, apart from a few rays of light from the moon through a window. He slowly walked into the room, fearing the worst. He looked around until he saw something very interesting; a pile of crates, with slippers next to them. Slippers with feet attached to them. Daniel crept up to the crates and peeked around the corner. What he saw next took him by surprise.

The creature he saw was no monster, but a teenage girl, lying down on the floor, her head resting on her arm. She looked to be slightly younger than Daniel, maybe a year or two. She had long brown hair that and a shade of brown in her eyes. Most of her hair hung loose, while the rest was in a ponytail. She was wearing an elegant, dark green gown with a gold pattern that seemed to swirl and twist around it. She seemed innocent, harmless and looked as if she had given up all hope. Tears were running down her face, though she was silent. She seemed terrified. Daniel couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"You okay?" Daniel asked.

The girl began to show a faint smile.

"Let's get you out of here," said Daniel.

He helped the girl stand up and made his way to the door. He soon realized why the girl couldn't leave the room. No matter how much he turned the knob, the door would not open. He then noticed a hole in the ceiling, at the left corner of the room. It looked big enough to fit through, so Daniel thought that levitation might help. He searched through his bag for the scroll. When he found it, he opened it, put his paw on the blank area, raised both his arms slowly upwards, and began to float in mid air.

"That hole in the ceiling is big enough for both of us, but you'll have to hold onto me for us to fit through," Daniel explained.

The girl simply nodded and followed Daniel to the area under the hole. Daniel rose up in the air, with the girl clinging to him, holding him by the neck. When they reached the top, they wasted no time in getting back to the ground, so the girl held Daniel's paw. They both jumped off the roof and slowly fell to the ground.

"Never thought I'd see another friendly face here," began Daniel.

The girl smiled, bent down on her knees, and gave Daniel a hug. Daniel blushed, not expecting this kind of thanks, but he was glad that the girl was all right.

"So what's your name?" asked Daniel.

The girl was silent for a moment before saying,

"Sarah,"

She had a sweet voice to match her innocent look.

"You haven't seen a creature like me before, have you?" Daniel spoke.

Sarah shook her head.

"Didn't think so," answered Daniel.

He looked into the distance where he could see the fountain he used to contact Simon and noticed that something was missing.

"Hey, the statue's gone," he said. "It _might_ be safe. Let's go to the fountain; a friend of mine somehow managed to contact me with it."

Daniel and Sarah walked towards the fountain, wondering where the statue went. When they got there, Daniel tried to figure out how the fountain worked. Sarah nudged the base of the fountain with her foot, pushing a small section of it inwards like a button. The fountain began to flow again.

"So that's how the fountains work?" asked Daniel.

Sarah nodded. Daniel leaned over the fountain so he could see his reflection.

"Hey, Simon...you there?" asked Daniel.

Daniel heard a muffled voice before hearing,

"Hang on, I'm coming..."

Simon's reflection appeared in the water.

"So you finally got the fountain to work?" asked Simon.

"Uh-huh," Daniel answered. "I found a girl."

"oooh, it's about time you did," Simon commented with a smile.

Daniel rolled his eyes and looked at Sarah.

"Grow up, Simon," he scolded. "I found her in a clothing store. She was trapped up there on the second floor. Her name's Sarah. Say hi, Sarah."

Sarah approached the fountain so that she was visible, and waved slightly.

"Don't be nervous," said Simon. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

"Where are you, anyway?" asked Daniel. "I haven't seen you since the armory."

"I'm by the hospital," replied Simon. "I saw a shadow in one of the windows, but if I stay away from there, I should be all right. Where are you two?"

"We're still at the dockside," answered Daniel. "The statue's gone and I'm still wondering if I can reach you before something happens."

"The dockside?" Simon spoke, eyes widening. "I've been there! Wait just a few minutes and I'll be right there."

"Don't get attacked again, okay?" asked Daniel. "The last thing we need is for you to get abducted."

Simon left the fountain and ran off.

"What's your name?" asked Sarah.

"Daniel," answered Daniel.

"Daniel...I need to show you and your friend something."

Daniel had just found a mysterious girl trapped in a clothing store. Why she was here of all places was one of Daniel's biggest questions. He also wanted to know where Simon had been all this time and if he was coming back like he said. Sarah had something to show Daniel and Simon, and Daniel was curious to find out. Most of all, he wanted to find out what happened to the city.


End file.
